UPDATED See bottom of controls, gameplay, and summary. Update may contain "spoilers"...

Ok, so this will be the first review I've done. Why an iPad game? Because it's what I seem to have time to play these days. I'm going to refrain from the use of a pointless number system, as the scale is incredibly arbitrary. Instead, I'll break this into some sections that I feel are worthwhile, and simply whether I like it or not. So, on to the review!

For this game, I'm breaking things into the categories of Story, Graphics, Controls, Gameplay, and Overall thoughts. Again, I'm not very far in the game, so things may change. I'll also close out with a Summary of the game as I've played so far. In the event there are people concerned with spoilers, you can just not read to the end.

Story

This is one area where the game is really weak. There's a voiceover at the beginning as an image of Flash running is shown. The voiceover does very little to tell you what is going on. In fact, I had to read the Injustice wiki on IGN to get the story.

As battles are completed, there is no update to the story either. You simply get a battle summary screen and move on. If you want this game for a deep story as to why these super powered beings are fighting, you should move on.

Graphics

The graphics for the game are very good. The animations run smoothly during the fights, and the characters look good. I do not notice anything over the top on graphics, but they are definitely NOT a distraction. Graphics should never be the sole reason to purchase a game or not (and hey, this ones free!), but if you are picky I doubt you'll find anything here to be upset about.

Controls

For me, this was going to be the biggest reason to like or hate the game. Let's face it, controls on mobile games are make or break for the experience. For the iPad (and other mobile devices), the controls are very simple. Tap the screen for a quick attack (ie, jab), swipe the screen for a slower attack (ie, hook/cross), and hold 2 fingers against the screen to block. Performing 3 taps or 3 swipes in a row will provide the opportunity to knock the opponent down. This is done by swiping in a random direction as dictated on the screen. You'll knock the opponent down, then move in close again. I think it deals a bit more damage, and that's the only real advantage I've seen to it. And that's it for the fighting.

Sound easy you say? It is. There is no control of the characters movement laterally on the screen. As you beat your opponent away (or as they beat you), the characters move automatically to within punching range. Typical ranged style attacks (like Green Lantern's cannon) simply knock the opponent back further. And there is no jumping. Sinestro will float rather than stand, but it's just a visual.

So, what does this mean? If you are a fighting game aficionado (which I am NOT...I suck at these games), you probably will not enjoy the game based on the fighting mechanics. I find the battles to be enjoyable, though at least at this point they are pretty simple (I rarely have had to use the block function yet). The battles seem to be very quick (about 1 minute each) as a mobile game should be. I enjoy it as I sit down with a cup of morning coffee beside me, or as I'm lying in bed awaiting sleep to come.

In short, I find the controls to be perfect for what the game is trying to be. They aren't complicated, and seem to work well. I do find that blocking is sometimes not registered as I intended. But this could be a result of me rather than the game.

Update: As it turns out, you CAN miss with a Super attack. A melee attack can miss if you knock the opponent back and activate the Super too soon. Also, the game does get much more difficult as it progresses.

Gameplay

The game is set up as a series of 3 on 3 battles. The first battle is actually one on one and is simply training. Characters are pre-chosen for this battle, and it's very simple. After that, you are given 3 random characters to start the game. For me, it was Sinestro, Lex Luthor, and Solomon Grundy. I was disappointed to not gain any heroes at first, but whatever.

After the training battle, you begin the 3 on 3's. There's a sequence of stages, with each stage having an increasing number of battles involved. During the battle, you can change characters by tapping on their icon in the upper left. Or they will automatically swap out whenever a character is "knocked out". As the battle plays out, the chosen character will collect energy that can be used to unleash a special attack. Special attacks open a QTE where you either swipe, tap, or "aim" to unleash the power. In addition to dealing extra damage, the special attack often has a modifier like drain energy or bleed damage. The battle is over once all 3 of the opponent characters are knocked out.

After the battle, the characters on your team will earn experience points. Note that the character does not have to take part in the battle, just be on the team of 3 characters you bring to the battle. Additional characters sit idle.

In addition to experience points, you are granted coins. Coins can be used to purchase character upgrades, additional characters, power ups, and booster packs. These are all done on a card-type system. If you get a duplicate card, you can combine them to upgrade that card. Coins are also used to unlock the additional levels up the special attacks. Level 2 can be unlocked at level 5. I've not been given the option to unlock level 3 yet. I have currently made no purchases with coins, as I'm saving up for a booster pack. The coins seem tough to come by, but of course you are given the option to purchase coins with real cash. I will not be doing that.

As you progress through the game, you also will be granted more cards. I believe it's after finishing a full stage. These cards appear to be pre-selected and not random, so I will put them in my summary below to avoid spoilers.

Update: In addition to the battles in the stages, there are boss battles. In this battle, you will fight a single character who is incredibly strong. After the boss battle, you can either advance to the next group of stages, or you can choose to fight bonus battles. Bonus battles are a selection of random enemies (ie, you don't know who they are before the battle loads). At the end, you will fight 2 random characters and an more powerful version of a 3rd character. This seems to be a good place to farm for coins.

One other thing. If you are in the middle of a stage and decide you need to exit and replay easier stages to farm coins, you will lose your progress in that stage.

At this point, I'm trying to determine if it's better to upgrade starting characters, or save coins to purchase stronger characters. I'll likely use the booster packs for this, as the cost of a booster pack is the same as the lowest character cost in that class. Since you can potentially earn the same character later and level them up, it seems like a good gamble.

Overall

At first, I thought the game was too cheesy and wasn't interested. But, I gave it a chance and am glad I did. As I mentioned above, if you are expecting a deep fighting game, you will be disappointed. However, for a mobile game, I find the controls to work very well. The hook of collecting coins to add more characters is definitely a strong motivation to continue. The only real negative I have is the lack of story as it moves along. Maybe I just haven't gotten far enough yet, but we'll see. If you're a fan of superheroes, and enjoy quick battles, I'd recommend picking it up. And remember, it's free.

Again, the difficulty seems to be ramping up. I'm sure farming will be required shortly, as I imagine they are wanting people to pay for in game currency. I do find the fact that they offer a $100 option pretty ridiculous. The strategy in this game appears to be forming a team where you get bonuses to counter that of your opponents. And energy drain moves are a definite plus.

Summary - May Contain Spoilers

Ok, so I've warned those of you concerned about spoilers for a free game. I hope both of you have left now.

I'll start by describing the characters that I was randomly awarded for the game.

Sinestro is interesting in that he floats rather than stand on the ground. His level one special uses his power ring to drop a missileasteroid on the head of the opponent. It also drains them of their energy, which is a great defensive move as well. His regularswipe attacks also utilize the power ring by forming a swordan axe to attack the opponent with. This doesn't give him additional range however, as the game automatically sets the sparring characters at a set distance. It's just a neat visual. His special is activated by rapidly tapping a spot on the screen. More taps = higher damage. Unlocking his second power move is "fear blasts". Here you use a target reticule like Lex Luthor's power lance move. This move also drains energy. If the opponent changes characters while you're using Sinestro, he gains 15% of his power for a power move.

Lex Luthor battles in his power suit. He lumbers along and is not really very exciting to use in my opinion. He will shoot lasers from his palms like Iron Man to knockdown the opponent at the end of a combo. His special uses a power lance that drains energy as well. When activated, a cross hair comes up on the screen with a moving line. You tap to stop the line moving, and the closer to the center you are the more damage it does. Lex also gives the entire team an increase in damage as an added bonus.

Solomon Grundy is another hulking character. His level one special pulls a butcher knife from his back and swipes at the opponent. If I remember correctly, you swipe the screen several times to power it up. I'm not real impressed with him either. He does have a passive ability where he will gain a small amount of health if close to being knocked out. I've actually come to like Grundy a bit, as he's currently my strongest character for pure damage.

Here's where the potential spoilers may start. The first character I unlocked was Nightwing. And he is a bad ass. He fights with his sticks. He's a fast character, and his special is that he charges the sticks and strikes them into the ground. It's activated by rapidly tapping a spot on the screen like Sinestro. It deals damage and drops the opponents energy. I've used him to knock out all 3 opponent characters, and keep him on my team to level him as high as possible. In addition, I received a 2nd Nightwing card through a bronze booster pack. So now Nightwing is Elite 1. His second special forms a bow staff and will almost kill a character in one hit. Again, you tap a icon on the screen rapidly.

The next character earned is Catwoman. I was hoping she'd be a good character as well, but she sucks. Fast like Nightwing, but hardly does any damage. Her special is performed by rapidly tapping a spot on the screen swiping a direction on the screen, like Grundy's. The next item you earn is actually an upgrade to Catwoman that let's her add bleed damage, but it still sucks. Not even her ass is enough of a reason to use her in this game. Actually, I've levelled Catwoman up some more. In addition to that and SEVERAL attack card upgrades, she's actually a pretty good character now.

Another character I've unlocked is Cyborg. Cyborg replenishes health more quickly than other characters after tapping out, so it's not a bad idea to start with him if you're going to use him. His special is like Sinestor's level 1, where you rapidly tap to do more damage. It has a chance to stun as well, so that's an added bonus.

I also unlocked Flash, but haven't been able to use him yet. His super sounds interesting, as each time it is used it increases the speed of Flash's regular attacks. This stacks 3 times. But, I may have to backtrack a bit to level Flash up. I feel he starts to weak to jump in where I'm heading next.

And that's all I've got so far. I'll try to update as I progress further if I find out anything else. Hope you enjoyed the review. Let me know, and I may continue if I find other interesting games.